The End of Retailpocolypse? This Retail ETF Is Soaring

The S&P Retail ETF (XRT) has climbed more than 4% over the course of the week on the heels of a solid first quarter earnings season for the sector. On Wednesday, the XRT was nearing its 52-week high of $49.09. In mid-afternoon trading, it was up nearly 0.3%, to $48.61.

On the flipside, the ProShares Decline of the Retl Store ETF (EMTY) has declined over the past two days. EMTY is an ETF that focuses on the decline of the bricks-and-mortar stores that were going to be hit by online retail giants such as Amazon.com Inc. The ETF was started in 2017.

The increase in the XRT versus the decrease of EMTY might just be proof that retailers can make their way back from near doom. Sorry, Amazon.

In afternoon trading on Wednesday, Macy's was down 1.4%, Guess was down nearly 1%, Abercrombie was up more than 2%, Kohl's was up nearly 1%, Express was down 1%, and Dillards was down slightly.

China's economy slowed to its weakest growth rate since 1990, official data confirmed Monday, as a damaging trade war with the United States, and efforts to curb domestic pollution and reckless lending, took a major bite out of the world's second largest economy.